The Oakland Athletics (19-55) and the Cleveland Guardians (33-38) open a 3-game series Tuesday at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Athletics vs. Guardians odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Guardians lead 2-1
The Guardians won 2 of 3 games from the Athletics in Oakland back on April 3-5, outscoring the A’s 21-19. The Over went 2-0-1 during the 3-game set.
The Athletics won 7 in a row from June 6-13 but have returned to their losing ways with 5 consecutive setbacks. The offense has dried up as it’s posted a total of just 13 runs in the past 6 games with the Under cashing in 6 of Oakland’s last 7 outings.
The Guardians posted a 12-3 win at the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday as they salvaged a lone victory in the 3-game set. It’s been all or nothing for Cleveland lately, posting 8 or more runs in 4 of the past 10 outings, while managing 3 or fewer runs in 4 of the contests.
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Athletics at Guardians projected starters
RHP Luis Medina vs. RHP Aaron Civale
Medina (1-6, 7.55 ERA) makes his 7th start and 9th appearance. He has a 1.60 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 over 39 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 5 K in a 6-3 home loss vs. the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday
- 2023 road splits: 1-3, 9.35 ERA (17 1/3 IP, 18 ER – 4 HR) with a .301 opponent batting average (OBA) in 3 starts and 1 relief appearance
Civale (2-2, 2.67 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 1.26 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 7.3 K/9 across 27 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H (2 solo HR), 4 BB, 7 K in 5-0 road loss vs. the San Diego Padres Wednesday
- 2023 home splits: 1-1, 4.76 ERA (11 1/3 IP, 6 ER) with a .277 OBA in 2 starts
Athletics at Guardians odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 7:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Athletics +185 (bet $100 to win $185) | Guardians -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Athletics +1.5 (-105) | Guardians -1.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: –15 | U: -105)
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Athletics at Guardians picks and predictions
Prediction
Guardians 6, Athletics 2
Moneyline
The Guardians (-225) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that’s just too expensive for a team that is 5 games under .500 overall with a minus-22 run differential and just 16-17 at home.
AVOID.
Run line/Against the spread
The GUARDIANS -1.5 (-115) are a better value on the run line.
Cleveland is 5-2 in the past 7 games as a favorite and has won by 2 or more runs in 4 of its last 6 outings.
The Athletics have managed to win just 14 of the past 53 games on the road and just 9-42 in the past 51 games following a loss. Oakland simply cannot be trusted.
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Over/Under
The UNDER 9 (-105) is the lean — but go lightly.
Cleveland has scored just 277 runs in 71 games, good for 3.9 runs per game, to rank 27th in the majors. Oakland ranks last in the majors with just 3.5 runs per contest, a .222 batting average and a .656 OPS. You can’t trust either of these offenses to plate very many runs.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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